Inflatable downhole tools are well known in the art and are used to perform a variety of tasks associated with completing and operating earth wells of various types, including oil, gas, water and environmental sampling and disposal wells.
Also, in the course of operating oil and gas wells, such wells may fail to sustain the same level of production as when they were first drilled because the face of the producing formation where it intersects the well bore has become fouled with debris or has become coated with a layer of insoluble mineral salts. When this occurs, it becomes necessary to rework the wells by placing stimulation fluids into the well bore to renew the face of the producing formation by dissolving the debris or mineral salts. When such stimulation work is performed, it is frequently desirable to isolate one producing zone from another and from other areas of the well bore to prevent the stimulation fluids from coming in contact with such other zones and such other areas of the well bore.
In order to introduce stimulation fluids into one area of a well bore while isolating other areas, a well bore packer must be employed as a part of the work string to accomplish such isolation. Also, since there are quite often several zones to be stimulated, it is desirable to be able to move the stimulation tool string up or down the well bore and to be able to unset, move and reset the packer several times to accomplish the stimulation work more efficiently.
In recent years it has become more economical to utilize coiled tubing to perform such stimulation jobs than to erect a workover rig and use other forms of conduits, such as jointed pipe, to perform the same function.